The Sermon on the Mount

I

FINDLAY
The Sermon on the Mount

Manuals of Fellowship, No. 9

THE SERMON ON THE
MOUNT

With a
Paraphrase

By J. Alexander Findlay, M.A,

.ONDON : THE EPWORTH PRESS

ALFRED SHARP

FOURPENCE NET

UUOD LID
( Manuals of Fellowship, No. 9

N.T. AWrrwfW- v-v//

JHE SERMON ON THE
MOUNT/

MATT, v.-vii.

With a
Paraphrase

By J. Alexander Fiiidlay, M.A.

LONDON : THE EPWORTH PRESS

J. ALFRED SHARP

The use of the text of the Revised

Version, throughout this booklet, is

by kind permission of the Universities

of Oxford and Cambridge.

NOTE BY THE TRANSLATOR

THE object of this paraphrase is not to take the place of
any ancient or modern translation of the Gospels even
within its own restricted range, but to render the words
of Jesus in the current colloquial language of our time,
in something the same way as the Master might have
spoken to a band of modern disciples, as eager to learn
and yet as little able to understand any but the simplest
teaching as His first apostles were when first He called
them. There is no attempt at word-by-word transla-
tion, but the purpose has been to bring out as much
as possible of what is suggested in the Sermon as we
have it, without adding or omitting anything.

At the places marked | I have followed the very
interesting 4th century MS known as Codex Bezae,
the original of which is in the Cambridge University
Library.

At the places marked J I accept a slight emendation
of the text, following a small change in the suggested
Aramaic original ; ' signet-ring ' for ' holy thing.'

The text on alternative pages is from the Revised
Version. J.A.F.

THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT

CHAPTER V

A ND seeing the multitudes, he went up into the mountain :
** and when he had sat down, his disciples came unto him :
2 And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying,

3 TI Blessed are the poor in spirit : for theirs is the kingdom
of heaven.

4 If Blessed are they that mourn : for they shall be comforted.

5 If Blessed are the meek : for they shall inherit the earth.

6 If Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after righteous-
ness : for they shall be filled.

7 If Blessed are the merciful : for they shall obtain mercy.

8 TJ Blessed are the pure in heart : for they shall see God.

9 If Blessed are the peacemakers : for they shall be called
sons of God.

10 f Blessed are they that have been persecuted for righteous-
ness' sake : for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

1 1 Blessed are ye when men shall reproach you, and persecute
you, and say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.

12 Rejoice, and be exceeding glad : for great is your reward
in heaven : for so persecuted they the prophets which were
before you.

13 If Ye are the salt of the earth : but if the salt have lost
its savour, wherewith shall it be salted ? it is thenceforth good
for nothing, but to be cast out and trodden under foot of men.

14 Ye are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot
be hid.

15 Neither do men light a lamp, and put it under the bushel,
but on the stand ; and it shineth unto all that are in the house.

1 6 Even so let your light shine before men, that they may
see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

1 7 U Think not that I came to destroy the law or the prophets
I came not to destroy, but to fulfil.

CHAPTER V

CHAPTER V

WHEN He saw how dense the crowd was growing, He
tvent up into the hills ; there He sat down, and,
when His disciples had come up to Him, He opened His
heart to them, saying in the course of His teaching:
I have good news for the humble to them
belongs the new age that God is bringing in ; for
mourners there is good cheer in store for them ; for the
patient and forbearing theirs by native right is the
lordship of the life of man ; for those who are hungry
and thirsty for the ideal life they shall receive full
satisfaction ; for the brotherly they shall receive
brotherly treatment ; for the single-minded they shall
look upon God's face; for peacemakers they shall be
called men of God's own pattern ; to those who have
ever suffered hardship in the cause of right God's
new world is their possession.

That is why you should never fear persecution ; indeed,
when you have to put up with reproach, ill-treatment,
every kind of slander, all because you will be My disciples,
you should welcome your troubles with exulting joy ;
you will be real prophets then, and, like those who went
before, God will reward you in His own great way. You
are the salt of society : that is what you were meant for,
to keep the world wholesome. No one has any use
for insipid salt ; people pitch the stuff into the street,
and there's an end of it. You are the world's sun-
light ; like yonder town on the hilltop, you cannot hide
if you try. Even with the lamp at home, you do not
light it, and then put it under a basin, but on the lamp-
stand, so that every one in the room can see by its light.
Take care, then, that your light shines out in all men's
sight, that they may not fail to notice the Tightness
of the things you do, and may come to thank God that
they ever met you.

Do not suppose that I have come to destroy the
old religion ; my mission is not to supersede the

6 THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT

1 8 For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass

one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass away from the law, till
all things be accomplished.

19 Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least com-
mandments, and shall teach men so, shall be called least in the
kingdom of heaven : but whosoever shall do and teach them,
he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

20 For I say unto you, that except your righteousness shall
exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in
no wise enter into the kingdom of heaven.

21 U Ye have heard that it was said to them of old time,
Thou shalt not kill ; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger
of the judgement :

22 But I say unto you, that every one who is angry with his
brother shall be in danger of the judgement; and whosoever
shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council ;
and whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of the
hell of fire.

23 If therefore thou art offering thy gift at the altar, and there
rememberest that thy brother hath aught against thee,

24 Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way, first
be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.

25 Agree with thine adversary quickly, whiles thou art with
him in the way ; lest haply the adversary deliver thee to the
judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast
into prison.

26 Verily I say unto thee, Thou shalt by no means come out
thence, till thou have paid the last farthing.

27 U Ye have heard that it was said, Thou shalt not commit
adultery :

28 But I say unto you, that every one that looketh on a woman
to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in
his heart.

29 And if thy right eye causeth thee to stumble, pluck it out,
and cast it from thee : for it is profitable for thee that one of

CHAPTER V 7

ancient sanctions, rather to unfold their deeper meaning.
Mark this ! the universe itself shall pass away, before
the smallest detail of God's law revealed in Scripture
comes to be out of date ; rather shall every part disclose
a larger truth. It follows that the man whose teaching
lessens the force of what seem to be the least important
of God's laws, has but a very humble place in the age
which I proclaim ; on the other hand he whose practice
and teaching enhance their authority shall have wide
influence there. All the same, your practice of the moral
law must go far beyond the code of conduct preached by
professional moralists ; only a new way of life can qualify
you for the new world that is coming.

I will illustrate my meaning ; you know the old words
of Scripture, 'You are not to commit murder,' your
teachers go on to say, ' Whoever kills must come up
for trial.' What I tell you is that every one who persists
in unreasonable anger with a brother-man, must account
for his behaviour ; whoever treats another with contempt
shall be indicted for blasphemy ; whoever curses another
brings down upon himself the doom he has invoked.
And more than this, until you are on good terms with
your brother, you must not bring your gifts to God's
altar ; if, when you have brought your gift you
remember that he has anything against you, you
must leave the gift where it is, go and make friends
with your brother, and then offer your gift. Never
lose a chance of making friends ; if you are involved
in a law-suit, you must try to come to an understanding
with your opponent on the way to court. Remember,
God is judge ; if you prolong the quarrel, it will be
you that He will condemn, whatever happens to the
other man; the man who nurses ill-will always pays,
and to the last penny too.

Again the word of Scripture runs, ' You must not
commit adultery.' What I have to say on this subject
is : Every one who casts upon a woman a lustful look
has already in his heart seduced her. If some passion
of this kind is your hindrance, you must tear yourself
away from it at all costs ; better to live a maimed life,
than with all your bodily powers about you be plunged
into a hell of unsatisfied desire. If your daily business

8 THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT

thy members should perish, and not thy whole body be cast into
hell.

30 And if thy right hand causeth thee to stumble, cut if off,
and cast it from thee : for it is profitable for thee that one of
thy members should perish, and not thy whole body go into
hell.

31 It was said also, Whosoever shall put away his wife, let
him give her a writing of divorcement :

32 But I say unto you, that every one that putteth away
his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, maketh her an
adulteress : and whosoever shall marry her when she is put
away committeth adultery.

33 H Again, y e have heard that it was said to them of old
time, Thou shalt not forswear thyself, but shalt perform unto
the Lord thine oaths :

34 But I say unto you, Swear not at all ; neither by the
heaven, for it is the throne of God ;

35 Nor by the earth, for it is the footstool of his feet ; nor
by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King.

36 Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, for thou canst not
make one hair white or black.

37 But let your speech be, Yea, yea ; Nay, nay : and what-
soever is more than these is of the evil one.

38 ^ Ye have heard that it was said, An eye for an eye, and
a tooth for a tooth :

39 But I say unto you, Resist not him that is evil : but
whosoever smiteth thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other
also.

40 And if any man would go to law with thee, and take away
thy coat, let him have thy clokc also.

41 And whosoever shall compel thee to go one mile, go with
him twain.

42 Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would
borrow of thee turn thou not away.

43 If Ye have heard that it was said, Thou shalt love thy
neighbour, and hate thine enemy :

44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, and pray for them
that persecute you ;

-CHAPTER V 9

puts a hindrance in your way, be rid of it, whatever it
costs ; better to be a broken man, than in the full tide
of your well-being to find yourself in hell. The old law
ran : ' Whoever would be rid of his wife must make
proper provision for her ! ' I go a stage further and say
leaving on one side the question of misconduct you
are not to part company with your wives at all ; if
you do, you are to blame if they go wrong,
while the man who marries a woman already divorced
commits adultery himself. Another illustration: you
have all heard the law once given to your fathers
' You must not commit perjury, but must fulfil your
vows as in God's sight.' I tell you, you should not need
to swear by this and that at all. Heaven is God's throne,
earth His footstool, Jerusalem the city of the King of
Kings ; your head for the matter of that is sacred too
you know you cannot make a single hair really white
or black. Great words like these are God's gift to you,
and are not to be used as makeweights to your light
talk. ' Yes, yes ' ; ' No, no ' ; that is emphasis enough
for you ; when you go beyond such simple speech, you
are giving the devil his chance.

Once more ; you know the words, ' Eye for eye, tooth
for tooth ' ; your teachers explain them as meaning ' slap
for slap, or give as good as you get.' I tell you, to
follow this line of action is to measure yourself with the
devil. Whoever slaps you on the right cheek* let
him do it again, if he wants to ; if some one takes
you into the law-courts, and to pay the damages
you have to forfeit your vest, make him a present
of your upper garment as well ; if you are pressed
to go one mile in the government service, of your
own accord accompany the officials who commandeer
your services the rest of the league. You are to be at the
service of every claimant, and are not to turn churlishly
away from any one that wants to borrow of you.

Again, you have heard the words of Scripture,
' Love your fellow-countrymen,' and know the con-
clusion your teachers draw : ' Of course this means that

*That is, ' whoever insults you ' ; a blow on the left cheek is a
figure used for real injury, a slap on the right cheek for insult is
the idiom current in those days.

io THE SERMON ON THE- MOUNT

45 That ye may be sons of your Father which is in heaven :
for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sendeth
rain on the just and the unjust.

46 For if ye love them that love you, what reward have ye ?
do not even the publicans the same ?

47 And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more
than others ? do not even the Gentiles the same ?

48 Ye therefore shall be perfect, as your heavenly Father is
perfect.

T

CHAPTER VI

AKE heed that ye do not your righteousness before men,
to be seen of them : else ye have no reward with your
Father which is in heaven.

2 If When therefore thou doest alms, sound not a trumpet
before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the
streets, that they may have glory of men Verily I say unto
you, They have received their reward.

3 But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what
thy right hand doeth :

4 That thine alms may be in secret : and thy Father which
seeth in secret shall recompense thee.

5 f And when ye pray, ye shall not be as the hypocrites :
for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and in the
corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily
I say unto you, They have received their reward.

6 But thou, when tho;i prayest, enter into thinr- inner chamber,
and having shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret,
and thy Father which seeth in secret shall recompense thee

CHAPTER V II

you are to hate all foreigners.' I tell you, you must
iove those whom you have learnt to think of as your
enemies, and, if they oppress you, must pray for them.
So shall you really be like God your Father ; you know
He makes His sun to shine down on bad and good alike,
and sends His rain upon all men, whether they obey
or disobey His will. Supposing that you love only those
that love you back, there is no special merit in that, is
there ? Quite disreputable people rival you there !
Or if you are friends only with the people of your own
set, that implies nothing more than average good-
nature ; the very heathen are equal to that ! No,
you are <to be God's men ; your love is to be as catholic
as His.

CHAPTER VI

BE careful not to follow the way of life now laid
down for you with an eye to human appreciation ; if
you do so, you take all the virtue out of it from God's
point of view. When you are practising your charities,
you are not to obtrude them upon public notice as self-
advertising philanthropists do in church or street, to
win the applause of men. Of course they get what they
want, and there is an end of the matter. But when
you are doing a brotherly action, your left hand is not
to know what your right hand is about ; you are not to
feel virtuous. Nor need you concern yourselves
about reward, for there are no secrets to which God our
Father is not a party, and He will make it up to you.
When you pray, you are not to go about it like the people
who air their piety ; you know how fond they are of
engaging in prayer for the edification of onlookers.
They get what they want admiration ; but God has
nothing to do with this kind of thing. When any one
of you is drawn to pray, he will do well to go apart and
retire into himself, there holding converse with God,
who dwells in secret places ; his Father, from
whom no secrets are hid. will Himself reward him.

12 THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT

7 And in praying use not vain repetitions, as the Gentiles
do : for they think that they shall be heard for their much
speaking.

8 Be not therefore like unto them : for your Father knoweth
what things ye have need of, before ye ask Him.

g After this manner therefore pray ye : Our Father which
art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.

10 Thy kingdom come. Thy -will be done, as in heaven, so
on earth.

11 Give us this day our daily bread.

12 And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our
debtors.

13 And bring us not into temptation, but deliver us from the
evil one.

14 For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly
Father will also forgive you.

15 But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will
your Father forgive your trespasses.

1 6 U Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of
a sad countenance : for they disfigure their faces, that they
may be seen of men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have
received their reward.

17 But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thy head, and wash
thy face ;

1 8 That thou be not seen of men to fast, but of thy Father
which is in secret : and thy Father, which seeth in secret,
shall recompense thee.

19 *[[ Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon the earth, where
moth and rust doth consume, and where thieves break through
and steal :

20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where
neither moth nor rust doth consume, and where thieves do not
break through nor steal :

21 For where thy treasure is, there will thy heart be also

22 The lamp of the body is the eye : if therefore thine eye
be single, thy whole body shall be full of light.

23 But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of
darkness If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness,
how great is the darkness !

CHAPTER VI 13

When you are praying in company with others, do not talk
for the sake of talking, as the heathen do in their endless
?ing-song prayers. They think that they can make
Heaven listen by sheer persistence. You must not be
like them, for you must remember that your Father
knows what you need before you begin to ask. I will
give you a model for your prayers : ' Our Father God,
be Thou our God indeed ; let Thy new world come, Thy
will be all men's law, on earth, as in heaven ; give
us to-day our food for the day that is coming,*
and release us from our debts, as we too have
released our debtors ; and bring us not into trial,
but rescue us from the devil.' You see, if you
have forgiven your fellow-men their offences against
you, your Father will also forgive your offences against
Him ; if you will not, neither will He forgive you. When
you are undergoing self-discipline, do not affect a sour
expression, as do those who fast for appearance' sake.
You know they murder their natural good looks, that
everybody may see what martyrs they are. Of course
they get the reputation they desire. When any one
of you resolves upon a season of abstinence, he should
be better groomed and more sociable than usual ; the
attention of his friends is not to be drawn to his self-
denial. His Father who dwells in the hidden life of the
heart will see it ; his Father who reads all secrets will
reward him. Do not hoard material possessions ; the
moth will consume your finery, rust will tarnish your
gold, thieves may break into your strong-rooms and
carry all away. Your provision for future need is to be
laid up in God's bank no moth, no rust, with Him ; no
one can rob you of that treasure. Moreover, a man's
interest is sure to centre round the concerns in which
his savings are invested. Your soul looks out of your
eyes, and everything depends upon the clearness of your
vision. If a man look at others without suspicion or
prejudice, his social life will be all sweetness and light ;
if, on the other hand, his way of thinking about them
is churlish and grudging, the world he lives in will look
gloomy indeed ; he carries the outer darkness about

*0r perhaps ' our needful food ' : I cannot decide between these
two ultimate renderings.

14 THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT

24 No man can serve two masters : for either he will hate
the one, and love the other ; or else he will hold to one, and
despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.

25 Therefore I say unto you, Be not anxious for your life,
what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink ; nor yet for your body,
what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than the food, and
the body than the raiment ?

26 Behold the birds of the heaven, that they sow not, neither
do they reap, nor gather into barns ; and your heavenly Father
feedeth them. Are not ye of much more value than they ?

27 And which of you by being anxious can add one cubit
unto his stature ?

28 And why are ye anxious concerning raiment ? Consider
the lilies of the field, how they grow ; they toil not, neither do
they spin :

29 Yet I say unto you, that even Solomon in all his glory
was not arrayed like one of these.

30 But if God doth so clothe the grass of the field, which
to-day is, and to-morrow is cast into the oven, shall He not
much more clothe you, O ye of little faith ?

31 Be not therefore anxious, saying, What shall we eat ? or
What shall we drink ? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed ?

32 For after all these things do the Gentiles seek ; for your
heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.

33 But seek ye first his kingdom, and his righteousness ; and
all these things shall be added unto you.

34 Be not therefore anxious for the morrow : for the morrow
will be anxious for itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil
thereof.

CHAPTER Vn

IUDGE not, that ye be not judged.

2 For with what judgement ye judge, ye shall be judged:
and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured unto
you.

3 And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's
eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye ?

CHAPTER VI 15

with him ! You must make your choice between
devotion to God and absorption in this world's business,
for no one can really bind himself to the service of more
than one master at a time ; he will either dislike the
one and love the other, or he will become attached to
the one and disparage the other. So I bid you not to
worry about yourselves, so far as food and clothes are
concerned. You are far more important than the food
you eat ; your bodies are more beautiful than the clothes
you wear. Study the wild birds ; they do not sow or
reap or lay up a store for the winter, yet God your
Father looks after them,- and you are more precious in
His sight than they ! Worry never makes you any
better-looking, does it ? What is the use of worrying
about clothes ? Learn a lesson from the wild flowers
they have no toilsome dressmaking to do, yet I tell
you Solomon in full dress was not so well clothed
as they ! If God dresses the very grass so well,
the grass which grows in the meadow to-day, and to-
morrow is dry and dead, surely He will take more pains
with you, you poor, mistrustful people ! You must
not let yourselves worry, or say, ' How are we
going to make ends meet ? ' or, ' What about the
clothes I want so badly ? ' The thoughts of worldly
people revolve round subjects like these ; surely
God your Father knows how many your needs are !
The bringing to birth of God's new world, the practice of
His way of life, must be your first concern ; all other
needful things will come your way, if this be so. Live
a day at a time, and let to-morrow look after itself.
Every day brings its own burden of care, and one day's
trouble at a time is as much as you can

CHAPTER VII

Do not indulge your critical faculties too much you
lay yourself open to criticism if you do ; in the long run
you will be done by as you did. Why do you take so
much notice of the splinter in your brother-man's eye,

i6 THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT

4 Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me cast out the
mote out of thine eye ; and lo, the beam is in thine own eye ?

5 Thou hypocrite, cast out first the beam out of thine own
eye ; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of
thy brother's eye.

6 f Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast
your pearls before the swine, lest haply they trample them under
their feet, and turn and rend you.

7 1f Ask, and it shall be given you : seek, and ye shall find ;
knock, and it shall bs opened unto you :

8 For every one that asketh receiveth ; and he that seeketh
findeth : and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.

9 Or what man is there of you, who, if his son shall ask him
for a loaf, will give him a stone ;

10 Or if he shall ask for a fish, will give him a serpent ?

n If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto
your children, how much more shall your Father which is in
heaven give good things to them that ask him ?

12 All things therefore whatsoever ye would that men should
do unto you, even so do ye also unto them : for this is the law
and the prophets.

1 3 T] Enter ye in by the narrow gate : for wide is the gate,
and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many be
they that enter in thereby.

14 For narrow is the gate, and straitened the way, that leadeti
unto life, and few be they that find it.

15 If Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's
clothing, but inwardly are ravening wolves.

1 6 By their fruits ye shall know them. Do men gather grapes
of thorns, or figs of thistles ?

17 Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit ; bat
the corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.

1 8 A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a
corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.

19 Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down (
and cast into the fire.

20 Therefore by their fruits ye shall know them.

21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter
into the kingdom of heaven ; but he that doeth the will of my
Father which is in heaven.

22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, did we not

CHAPTER VII 17

without stopping to reflect that there is a whole log in
your own ? Why do you busy yourselves with other
men's small faults so much, and forget your own big
ones ? Self-deluded man, first get rid of the log in your
own eye, then you can see straight to pick the splinter
out of your brother's eye ! Your fellowship with Me
and one another is your signet-ring, your circlet of
pearls ; you are not to. expose this sacred bond to the
tender mercies of cynical outsiders or mere scandal-
mongers ; if you do, they trample your treasure in
the dirt, then turn upon you and take away your
character too. Ask, and you shall have ; seek, and you
shall find ; knock, and the door will fly open. Every one
who persists in asking gets something ; the seeker makes
discoveries ; to the man who keeps on knocking God's door
does open. There is not a man among you who would give
his boy a stone when asked for a loaf, or a snake as a
substitute for a fish, is there? If, then, sinful men like
you know what is best to give your children, surely you
can trust your heavenly Father to give good things to
those who ask Him ! My rule of life is this : you are to
treat every one else as you would like people to treat
you ; this is the essence of God's revealed law of con-
duct. The door I have now opened to you is narrow,
but you must enter it ; the road that leads to a wasted
life is broad and smooth, and there is always company
enough that way ; the gate is narrow and the road
toilsome which leads to life in God's new world, and
few discover where it lies. Do not be misled by men
who beckon you another way they call themselves
' prophets/ and come to you, looking as harmless as
sheep really they are greedy wolves ; you can tell what
they really are by the mischief they cause. You do not
gather grapes on the thorn-bush, or figs on the thistle,
do you ? A healthy tree bears sound fruit, a decayed
tree rotten fruit. It is not in nature for a sound tree
to bear bad fruit, or for a rotten tree to produce fruit
that is good to eat. Every tree that does not bear good
fruit is fated to be cut down and burnt. This, then, is
the test you are to apply you can measure their
sincerity or otherwise by the kind of results they achieve.
It is not a question of words merely, for not every one

is THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT

prophesy by thy name, and by thy name cast out devils, and
by thy name do many mighty works ?

23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you
depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

24 Every one therefore which heareth these words of mine,
and doeth them, shall be likened unto a wise man, which built
his house upon the rock :

25 And the rain descended, and' the floods came, and the
winds blew, and beat upon that house ; and it fell not : for it
was founded upon the rock.

26 And every one that heareth these words of mine, and doeth
them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his
house upon the sand

27 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the
winds blew, and smote upon that house ; and it fell : and great
was the fall thereof.

CHAPTER VII 19

who calls Me ' Lord, Lord ' shall have a place in God's
new world, but only those who carry out My Father
God's will. In the day of My coming many shall say,
' Lord, Lord, have we not preached, saved men from
the sway of dark powers of evil, healed them body and
soul, and all in Thy name ? ' And after all I shall have
to tell them publicly, ' You were never Mine ; depart
from Me, you are rebels all of you.' All depends, you
see, upon the reality of men's relations with Me. The
man who listens to My words and carries them into
action is like a sensible builder, who builds his house
upon the solid rock. The rainy season comes, rivers
rise, fierce gusts of wind come sweeping down upon the
house, and yet it does not fall ; its foundation lies
secure upon the rock. As for the man, whoever he be,
who listens to My words and does not carry them into
practice, he is like a heedless builder, who builds his
house on loose sandy soil.- The rainy season comes,
rivers rise, fierce gusts of wind batter the house it
totters then down it comes in utter ruin !

WO

ds of Fellowshi

Edited by

i n Flew, M. s .

T- arc primarily ft^Ki^o^i tor
the oe of reader* who whether in C9M-
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tnheriUince >M the Christian faith. It is b-

me materiai provided may tu&r prove of
. to tnaay iadlvlduai diadpiM io tfutr
cst.

th Manuals wiO deal with (elected
pawa^ea of Scripture ; ether* with the treat t

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bolarsliip affords, the Maouai-

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A 001 022 160 4

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